I was born in St. Louis, Missouri, November 11, 1912. I spent my boyhood years on a farm in Effingham County, Illinois. I graduated from Clay County High School.
My first experience with chiropractic care happened just before I reached my sixth birthday. I had just been operated on for acute appendicitis when I developed a near fatal infection after the surgery. Following the infection and high fever I went into a condition diagnosed as St. Vitus Dance. This was in 1918 and my parents consulted our family medical doctor and then took me to a specialist in St. Louis, Missouri. They were informed that there was no known treatment to help me. They then took me to a Chiropractor in Mattoon, Illinois. That wonderful Doctor of Chiropractic just went to work on me not knowing there was not a known cure and soon had me feeling better and cured me of St. Vitus Dance.
After reaching adulthood, I decided to enter the building trades. I studied hard and decided to become an Ironworker. I soon became a member of the International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Ironworkers Union.
I fell forty two feet from a three story building in 1937, landing on my head and left shoulder. I was unconscious from five o’clock that afternoon until eight the next morning. After this fall I developed severe migraine headaches and digestive disorders. I sought the services of a chiropractor and was treated and realized the wonderful results of Chiropractic care for my injuries and disorders.
While I was superintendent of Ironworkers at a huge shell loading plant in Camden, Arkansas I was still receiving chiropractic care and my chiropractor talked to me and persuaded me to consider chiropractic as a career. He recommended the Palmer College of Chiropractic to me. My wife, Belva, had also received wonderful results under this same chiropractor’s care for migraine headaches and this of course helped us to come to a decision for me to change my career. As I had a very excellent job, it was a hard decision as it was not easy to give up a large nice bird in the hand as my excellent job represented in order to search for a whole new tomorrow in chiropractic. I resigned my job and set out for the Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa.
Dr. Roy LeMond, a chiropractor from Austin, Texas happened to attend Palmer College Homecoming while I was at Palmer and he encouraged me to come to Austin, Texas to practice. I thought about this and we moved to Austin, Texas and I have practiced in Austin since June 2, 1947 at 508 W. 16th street.
I have been very active in chiropractic organizations in Texas and served as District Secretary and District Vice President of the Texas Chiropractic Research Society. At that time the District President doubled as a member of the State Board. I served in this capacity for five years and also later as State Secretary and State Vice President. The President chose me and two other chiropractors to meet with members of the Texas State Chiropractic Association to agree on terms of amalgamation of the two organizations.
I have served as President, District Eight, T.S.C.A., two terms as State Director, District Eight, T.S.C.A. and as Chairman of the T.S.C.A. Membership committee. I have also served on several other T.S.C.A. Committees.
In 1970 I was asked to serve and assume the duties of Executive Director of T.S.C.A. I served in this position from 1970 through 1978 in the T.S.C.A. Austin office.
Working for the advancement of chiropractic in the State of Texas from a political standpoint has always been an interesting challenge to me and I have greatly enjoyed the contacts with members of the Texas House and Senate over the past many years. My background in labor management with the International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Ironworkers Union made it easy for me to become close to the officialdom of the Texas AFL-CIO and that close association still prevails. This aided greatly for T.S.C.A. in working together with the AFL-CIO on the Capitol Hill for many years.
I joined the Austin Cosmopolitan Chapter of Cosmopolitan International, a service club in 1953 and have served as President twice and as International Vice President. I have been three times Cosmo of the Year of the Austin Club and Cosmo of the Year of the Southwestern Federation. (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mexico). I am presently serving as a member of the International Foundation Board which holds and dispenses charitable grants for the International.
I have long been a very active member of the American Chiropractic Association.
My lovely wife., Belva and I have two daughters, a son, ten grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Receiving the T.C.A. Keeler Plaque in 1984 was indeed a great honor to me and I shall forever be grateful. It made it all worthwhile.
